labour

Categories under labour

No categories

Leadership meeting – the outcome

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 5:01 pm, November 20th, 2012 - 473 comments

Shearer’s announcement is streaming live on 3 News at 5pm. Shearer has unanimous endorsement as leader. Cunliffe demoted, portfolios removed.

Do Not Press!

Written By: Bill - Date published: 10:39 am, November 20th, 2012 - 51 comments

Funny thing about winnning the war is that it can take a bit of time to sink in.

Shitting on the shoulders of giants

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 9:04 am, November 20th, 2012 - 85 comments

Those who control Labour at any given time are on the shoulders of giants. For the 4 years, Labour has been controlled by a clique that led Labour to its worst defeat. A year later, with their second choice frontman as leader, they’re still in charge and Labour’s still below its 2008 result, on track for another defeat. The membership voted no confidence in the old guard on Saturday.

On Loyalty

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 7:04 am, November 20th, 2012 - 120 comments

The ABC club would have us believe that David Cunliffe has ‘openly undermined’ both David Shearer’s leadership and Phil Goff’s before him.

These attempts to rewrite history are amusing but factually inaccurate. We all know who undermined Phil Goff’s leadership and it wasn’t David Cunliffe.

Leadership and unity

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:03 am, November 20th, 2012 - 152 comments

There is a Labour caucus meeting later today where, it is widely reported, Cunliffe is going to be demoted. I understand the temptation for Shearer. When challenged on his leadership he wants to portray the strong leader. But there is a better way. What we need now is reconciliation.

An apology to David Cunliffe

Written By: QoT - Date published: 6:00 pm, November 19th, 2012 - 121 comments

I’m sorry, David Cunliffe, for the part I have played in your downfall. Wait a minute, what?

Cunliffe Has Overplayed His Hand

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 1:52 pm, November 19th, 2012 - 100 comments

At the end of this weekend’s Labour Annual Conference, delegates were happy. Speaking as a delegate, we had made the first and most important changes to the party in its history. But every night, after we got home and turned on the TV or visited a news website (or even some of the blogs), we didn’t see those stories we felt proud about. We saw Patrick Gower and Brook Sabin and Jessica Mutch sticking the camera in David Cunliffe’s face

Shearer or Labour?

Written By: Bill - Date published: 12:58 pm, November 19th, 2012 - 247 comments

Between writing this post and submitting it I see rumours are flying like demented monkeys. So perhaps this post is a timely call to sort shit out democratically. Now. And once and for all.

War and peace

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 8:05 am, November 19th, 2012 - 93 comments

Talk of a Labour leadership vote to be held this Tuesday blossomed and then faded on Sunday. Here’s what went down. The Mallard-led old guard thought they had found a procedural trick to embarrass Cunliffe. They could have an immediate caucus-only vote under the old rules, which would require 60% opposition to Shearer to succeed. But such a cynical attempt to disenfranchise the membership would have backfired

Reaction on the end of conference

Written By: lprent - Date published: 11:52 pm, November 18th, 2012 - 40 comments

It was a good productive conference for Labour. The best reaction about David Shearer’s speech and the rank and files reactions to the conference that I observed was probably from Robert Winter, so I have quoted it here. Thanks to the NZLP’s council for letting me attend, and thanks to the working journalists for tolerating me.

Some facts for today

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 11:42 pm, November 18th, 2012 - 27 comments

The Labour Conference was not ‘acrimonious’. The Party was not ‘split’. A good time was had. Shearer’s speech was fantastic. The Party was rejuvenated. The February vote can’t be brought forward. Labour showed great progressive values. The media showed great beat-up skills.

3 out of 3

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 11:24 pm, November 18th, 2012 - 39 comments

First Gillard, then Miliband, now Shearer – three Labour leaders who have completely turned things round with one speech. The result for Shearer – an energised Labour Party ready to work for victory in 2014, and plenty for kiwis to talk about over the Christmas break.

The Speech: Active Government

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:16 pm, November 18th, 2012 - 27 comments

David Shearer’s speech to conference was everything that it needed to be – and more. The headlines will be about KiwiBuild, as they should be, it’s a stunning policy. But just as important for the future of the country is the strong commitment to active government.

KiwiBuild

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:13 pm, November 18th, 2012 - 216 comments

100,000 new entry level homes. The biggest public building programme in over fifty years. Hope for young families and households. A massive boost to jobs and the economy.

This is a historic policy.

Shearer makes first move

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 12:32 pm, November 18th, 2012 - 149 comments

Vernon Small is reporting David Shearer is planning to bring the leadership vote forward to as soon as next week and it looks like their plan is to get it out of the way under the old rules.

Queen of Thorns makes a move for Labour leadership

Written By: QoT - Date published: 12:00 pm, November 18th, 2012 - 15 comments

The truth is out. Under Patrick Gower’s incredibly cunning questioning, I have confessed that I will challenge Shearer in February.

Labour Conference 2012 policy remits

Written By: lprent - Date published: 10:38 am, November 18th, 2012 - 27 comments

The policy remits this morning. There isn’t a lot of time. However they are prioritized

Members send a message to caucus

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:43 am, November 18th, 2012 - 19 comments

Looking at the MSM reaction this morning, one thing is clear.

They’ve missed that the significance of the vote yesterday was not about whether there will be leadership contest.

It’s about the accountability of the caucus to the party.

Changing Labour: significant issues

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:38 am, November 18th, 2012 - 4 comments

These are exciting days as the Labour Party becomes more democratic. In their reports on the Conference, the MSM are failing to focus on the important issues: ones requiring a new direction from the Left, such as damaging white collar fraud and the urgent need for affordable housing.

A reason to belong

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 7:48 am, November 18th, 2012 - 29 comments

For the first time in the history of New Zealand, being a member of a major party really means something. If you a member of Labour, you will have a choice in who your leader is. Can any but a handful of National apparatchiks say the same? It’s time for National’s members to ask whether they’re really members of just money pots. And it’s time for the Labour Ulterior to re-join.

Labour Conference day 2

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 11:53 pm, November 17th, 2012 - 9 comments

So the remit session was a bit of an endurance event as they always are (and we’ve still got policy remits tomorrow…). The vast majority was fairly easily agreed, including the big changes. The real contention was over the leadership vote trigger for the 3-yearly caucus endorsement.

Pushing at an open door

Written By: lprent - Date published: 10:17 pm, November 17th, 2012 - 61 comments

Back in the early 90’s the first party conference I went to was very nearly my last. Intransigent foes who used the mic to assault each other was my introduction to the Labour party ‘working’ with each other. Eventually I gave up viewing the remit floor as meaningless. But it now looks like this has all changed. It looks like the Labour party has an open door through which it is capable of doing something again.

Labour chooses democracy

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 2:55 pm, November 17th, 2012 - 152 comments

Labour has established its new leadership voting rules. The attempt to effectively neuter the membership’s new power by setting a high bar for a leadership vote to be triggered failed. It will take 50% of caucus to trigger a vote in ordinary times, but a 60% caucus endorsement of the leader to avoid a leadership vote in the compulsory mid-term motion.

Labour Conference 2012 remits

Written By: lprent - Date published: 10:24 am, November 17th, 2012 - 81 comments

Especially for delegates (and me) to write comments on remits. Very fast so far. Robert Gallagher who is chairing the movement appears to be enjoying himself. A welcome sight.

A note to a media commentator

Written By: lprent - Date published: 2:51 am, November 17th, 2012 - 53 comments

I finally got around to listening to Gavin Ellis making a complete dork of himself on Radio NZ talking about authors on this site being “manipulated”. Hah! Anyone trying to manipulate them is likely to wind up being made into a pretzel. I wouldn’t care to try it myself. So does Gavin Ellis = a bit of an idiot. Or more charitably, has he actually bothered to think about this issue?

Labour Conference day 1

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 12:25 am, November 17th, 2012 - 8 comments

So Lynn is giving you the media perspective, I thought I might get some delegate perspective. Housing, jobs, policy, speeches… a bit of the flavour.

#Labour2012 Voting for democracy

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 8:06 pm, November 16th, 2012 - 32 comments

There’s a few remits on the floor at conference today that are going to be make or break for the future of the Labour party. They’re all about democratising the party which is something I think needs to happen if it’s going to survive and thrive.

Conference 2012 – Labour

Written By: lprent - Date published: 1:54 pm, November 16th, 2012 - 149 comments

Well, I’m at the Labour conference – as media. Feels somewhat weird after many delegate years. I figure that The Standard needs to start sending someone along to the conferences. So I will ground-break at each of the major ones over the next year. The remit book looks like the main focus for this year. […]

Towards an inclusive, democratic left

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:53 am, November 16th, 2012 - 46 comments

The left needs to develop a new direction, not merely react to the ruling neoliberal discourses and policies. Under NAct there has been a resurgent masculinisation of politics, and the undermining of democratic processes. How do we work towards a more inclusive, diverse participatory democracy?

The enemy isn’t on your side

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 7:35 am, November 15th, 2012 - 186 comments

Politics 101 for Labour leaders: when a right-wing columnist tells you to piss off your party and your base to ‘win the centre’ she probably doesn’t have your best interests at heart. The truth of it is, Labour didn’t lose the last two elections by losing the centre and it won’t win by trying to win back votes from National. It’s the Labour non-vote that matters.

Break For The Future

Written By: Bill - Date published: 9:18 am, November 14th, 2012 - 102 comments

When Margaret Thatcher was asked about her greatest achievement, she promptly answered: “New Labour.” And she was right: her triumph was that even her political enemies adopted her basic economic policies. True victory over your enemy occurs when they start to use your language, so that your ideas form the foundation of the entire field. Today, when neoliberal hegemony is clearly falling apart, the only solution is to repeat Thatcher’s gesture in the opposite direction.